Trevor Noah is soon to be the host for the Grammys for a sixth time in a row. But this came with a lot of coaxing, including executive producer Ben Winston getting down on his knees and begging the comedian to come back for one last time. Before this, Noah, who had already hosted the past five years of the show, announced his plans not do it again. But it seems that the Grammys producer managed to change his mind.
Ben Winston discusses how he convinced Trevor Noah to host Grammys in 2026
Ben Winston, the executive producer of the Grammys, revealed in a recent press conference how he managed to get Trevor Noah onboard again after the comedian announced his plans to not host for another year.
“After last year’s show, he respectfully said, ‘Look, I’ve done a great five years, it’s time to hand the microphone off to somebody else and move on,” Winston recalled (via EW). He explained that he and his fellow producers, Raj Kapoor and Jesse Collins, tried hard to get a replacement for Noah. But they failed to land anyone who could really replace Noah.
“It got to December, and we hadn’t found anybody that we absolutely loved. I sent him a video, and I was literally, I was on my knees in this video, and I said, ‘Please look at this incredible lineup that we’ve got on the show — the only thing that’s missing is you,’,” he continued, “Come back and do one final year, it’s the last year on CBS, let’s make it your last year too.'”
Winston explained that Noah was into begging. The EP revealed that the comedian soon “texted back, ‘Sure, let’s do it. See you there. Can’t wait.'” He added that “it was the longest I’ve ever waited for a text to come.”
The producer further showered praise on Noah, adding, “He’s been a big part of the evolution of our show, of our organization, to be honest, because he presents so well. The gravitas, the sensibility, the emotional intelligence that he has, and his interactions with the artists really has changed the tone and the tenor of our show. So we’re extremely thankful for his five, now going on six shows.”
The 2026 Grammys will take place on February 1, 2026, at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.
